Storms, floods and disasters in Briny Breezes
Briny Breezes isn’t graded for hazard risk: Briny Breezes has 394 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 7 claims here since 1999.
What Briny Breezes faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Hurricanes
River and rain flooding
Coastal flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
Does Briny Breezes flood? Rarely: 7 flood claims since 1999
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Briny Breezes, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Jeanne2 claims · $5K
- Hurricane Irene2 claims · $2K
- Hurricane Frances1 claim · $5K
Briny Breezes isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Palm Beach County.5 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Briny Breezes
Disasters that paid out in Briny Breezes itself (aid to households or repair grants to the Town of Briny Breezes), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.
- 2022Hurricane Ian2 households applied for aid$300 aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
- 2017Hurricane Irma19 households applied for aid$25K aid approved$17K to the Town of Briny Breezes for repairs
- 2005Hurricane Wilma32 households applied for aid$26K aid approved$24K to the Town of Briny Breezes for repairs
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne11 households applied for aid$15K aid approved$4K to the Town of Briny Breezes for repairs2 flood claims paid for it, $5K
- 2004Hurricane Frances7 households applied for aid$4K aid approved$11K to the Town of Briny Breezes for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $5K
Palm Beach County has had 29 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often hurricanes and tropical storms, then winter storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 1 FEMA wildfire suppression grant (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Palm Beach County, 1999–1999.
Old photos of Briny Breezes after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Briny Breezes archive →Briny Breezes and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Ridge | C−more damage than 80% | hurricanes | 92 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Briny Breezes faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- The season runs June through November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October.
- Bring in porch furniture and anything the wind can throw.
- Fill the gas tank and charge phones before the storm arrives.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Briny Breezes
Does Briny Breezes flood?
Flood insurance has paid 7 claims in Briny Breezes since 1999, $21K in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Jeanne (2).
Is Briny Breezes in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Palm Beach County, 43% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 13.0% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Briny Breezes?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Briny Breezes’ flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Briny Breezes?
By FEMA money that reached Briny Breezes, Hurricane Wilma (2005): 32 households applied for aid, $26K approved, and $24K to the Town of Briny Breezes for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Jeanne: 2 paid, $5K.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Briny Breezes.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Briny Breezes’ residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.